Feb 24, 2010

I turn 25 this year (May 8th) and have already started thinking about my birthday. I always have the worst birthdays. I mean absolute worst, and not just by my standards, by anyones.For example:

15th- Got dumped by my bf of a year (big deal at the time)

16th- Was at school late trying out for cheerleading when my whole family forgot to pick me up for my own birthday party.(ek um correction mom was at work on the other side of Atl. she let dad/Candi have it when she got home, so much so that my sisters bf was very uncomfotable being there) This was before every kid had a cell, so I sat there, for hours, and just waited...

17th- My dog, not just my families, but specifically my dog who was ten died. Not only did she die, but we rushed her to the vet, she was having heart failure. They couldn't do the surgery so we would have to take her to another vet, thirty mins away, in rush hour traffic. While we were discussing this with the vet Bubbles started coughing up blood again, I stayed in the room alone, while my sister and her bf walked out cause she couldn't watch. I watched her die. My dad got there shortly after. He drove her home to bury her. I held her till Mom got home, so Mom could say goodbye.

18th- I dumped my prom date 2 days before the dance because he was a Jerk! At least I dumped him.

19th-20th- I guess uneventful bc I cant remember lol.

21st- absolutely no one celebrated with me. My sister got married the day before, so she was gone on her honeymoon, and she was the only one of my friends who was over 21 who could have celebrated with me.

22nd- Was on a cruise with the ex. He gave me nothing, said nothing, did nothing. We were also hiding from a storm, the ocean was really wavy, and I was pretty seasick that night!

23rd- was right before I graduated from college, so I don't think anything happened, which seems to be a good thing lol.

24th- Max absolutelyforgot, I don't really want to say forgot. Maybe saying was to lazy and unthoughtful to get me anything would be more accurate. Nothing. At all. Not even a card. And trust me I don't let you forget my birthday. I dread the day approaching so I sure let you know its coming. Oh to make it worse I was 5 months pregnant too, so I was like super emotional when midnight came around and he still hadn't said, "Surprise!" like I was crossing my fingers for.

So I need ideas please. Help. :) I need to have at least one good birthday in the last decade, and one that is worth remembering!! I'm not really a big drinker, but a couple margaritas are not out of the picture. What did you do when you turned 25?

Feb 23, 2010

I'm super excited to receive this award! It is my first award! I was given this by Be Your Best Mom, a blog that I just started following a few weeks ago! Go Check her blog out!

There are a few rules to accepting the award so here they are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you

2. Copy the award and paste it on your blog

3. Link to the person who nominated you for the award

4. List 7 interesting things about yourself

5. Nominate 7 other Beautiful Bloggers

Seven Interesting Things About Me:

I am deathly terrified of water slides, because when I was a kid my mom and I went down one together... in an inner tube... that flipped when we got to the water... and our little butts were stuck in it... my mom flipped me out.. and a man jumped in and saved me.

Rubbing my feet puts me to sleep very very very easily.

I make up songs and rhymes all day every day... when no one else other than Max is around. He catches me doing it in the kitchen all the time, which is usually accompanied with a very dorky dance.

I majored in International Studies, graduated w/a bachelor in '08 BUT have never been anywhere international other than Mexico, Bahamas, and Grand Turk for like 5 hrs a piece on a cruise.

I am the worst speller... ever... thank god for spell check!

My best friend, other than my mother and sister, is my work buddy Jean who is 55. I think its neat that we are 20 yrs apart in age.

Feb 22, 2010

My neighbor has NOT gone crazy and has NOT said any of these things...

That they added a water drain pipe under their yard that drains in to their side yard, which is also my side yard, which in return has been flooding my garage EVERY SINGLE TIME IT RAINS! They did NOT put it up while we were in the hospital 5 months ago, and I did NOT just put these pieces together.

He did NOT threaten my big dog Carley, he would NEVER say that I might find her four paws up in my yard somewhere! That did not make me want to attack him but I couldn't because ...

He did NOT come to work to tell me these things either!

The next day I did NOT find him blowing all the leafs from his yard into ours, he did not quickly panic, turn off the leaf blower, and act like he was going to rake them and put them in a wheel barrel.

I would NEVER find him or his grown kids that still live at home kicking my fence and laughing when Carley gets mad. They are NOT so stupid not to know that if you harass a dog (which is considered abuse in our county) that if the dog bites you you can not press legal charges. Carley is NOT an awesome and sweet pup that would never do anything unless she felt attacked!

Things that have NOT been going on around our house this week:

Joee does NOT like her jumper!

Joee's new tempertantroms when she does not get her way do NOT make me laugh. I do NOT think its funny that she already has a temper at 5 months old, but I am also NOT worried that she is going to be like one of those bratty kids that drive me crazy at work.

Joee did NOT get sick of having her picture taken on Valentines day! She would NEVER go from this...

To this...

In a blink of an eye (or camera :)

My babies would NEVER fall asleep together in the middle of the afternoon. Nope not Daddy with baby Joee NEVER!

Joee would NEVER have fun in her snow suit in the snow.She would NEVER giggle while we forced her to make a lil' snow angel.

But he was completely forgiven for being the late punk that he is when I saw how beautiful it was! ( he also made the nightstand which was originally my fish tank stand till he forgot to feed them while I was in the hospital having Joee via C-section...)

Feb 19, 2010

Max and I have wanted to go to Orlando since 2008, however due to money then pregnancy we never got to do it. I am happy to announce that we have actually made the reservations and are going to Orlando soon!

Tonight we booked a 4 day vaca in a cheap hotel by Universal. We decided to go ahead and do it before Joee gets older. I know how desperately I am going to miss her while she stays with her Granny, I am not even going to think about packing her little ladybug suitcase! Ah. But if we don't go now, we never will. Next year she will be old enough to let us know she is upset with us going, so I know I would chicken out. We cant take her (unless others go with us) plus what fun is it for a six month old? When we go back next time it will be ALL JOEE TIME at DISNEY :) I cant wait for her to be old enough to love that.

My grandparents, and parents took my sister and I to Disney nearly every year growing up. I loved it. Now I look back and think my poor parents. They spent all their vacations on entertaining us. I do have the best parents in the world. My parents never even went to the movies bc my mom couldnt stand to be with out us :) Wonderful mother.

But for now, I am going to suck it up, pack Joee's bags, and enjoy Max and my last us vacation, plus we get to celebrate our anniversary!

Feb 18, 2010

The book is about two things God and love. The purpose of the book is to teach couples about what real unconditional love is and to dare to love. The set up of the book is where they take a aspect of love (think Corinthians 13) uses other references in the bible to change (or applaud) the way you treat your husband. The book really gives you a different perspective on situations. Max and I have a beautiful relationship, but I figured this could help us keep it beautiful, plus I really like Corinthians 13 and that is what sold me on it.

So far we are on Day 4, we have been reading it for about two weeks. I have really enjoyed reading the short passages with Max on the nights we get to it, and I have enjoyed the dares as well.

To give you an example of the dares that we have accomplished so far... Day 1: Love is patient-say nothing negative to your spouse at all, Day 2: Love is kind- Say nothing negative and do at least one act of unexpected gester as an act of kindness, Day 3: Love is not selfish- Say nothing negative and buy your spouse something that states "I was thinking of you today", Day 4: Love is thoughtful-Contact your spouse sometime during the day just to say hey and ask how they are doing.

Day 1 was easy sheezy for Max and me, we aren't usually mean to each other. Well its alot easy for Max because he thinks alot more before he speaks, but we got through that day with in a day so it was a success.

Day 2- was a little harder. I had gotten aggravated with Max and blown it one day. I wasn't very mean but I was just snippy with him a couple of times, so... But we both also had a problem with figuring out what the book meant by gester. We do things for each other all the time. So we took a few days and finally when I was fed up that we hadn't moved on, we sat down that night and thought of the kindest thing that we had done for one another that day, wrote it in the journal part and moved on. Max's act of kindness was making breakfast, lunch and dinner the day I was sick and pathetic, and mine was all the homemade dinners I had made that week. Doesn't sound like a big deal right but it is rare for us to cook in that much, especially with things that take good work for me.

Day 3- this day was also easy for us. I knew I had wanted to buy Max this Punch house plan program, and Max got me the Lady Gaga Cd since I am obsessed with the Paparazzi song right now.

Day 4- We finished this, but it was easy to. We usually talk at least sometime during the work day via texts.

While we have liked this book there have been several times that I have marked through some of the things in the book that I didn't agree with.

Day 3: Love is not selfish."When a husband puts his interests, desires, and priorities in front of his wife, that is a sign of selfishness. When a wife constantly complains about the time and energy she spends meeting the needs of her husband that is a sign of selfishness." It made me angry that this was there example. The wife gives her all to her husband, he is obviously not appreciative, and she complains, so she is selfish... didn't she just devote her time and energy to her husband. This book was written by men, and sometimes has a pretty sexist outlook on Christianity, love, and marriage. But I just strike through them and keep on reading. I figure the pros will out weigh the cons with this book.

Ill skip ahead to see Day 5 to tell y'all the dare. Day 5: Love is not rude- Ask your spouse to tell you three things that cause him/her to be uncomfortable or irritated with you. You must do so without attacking them or justifying your behavior. This is from their perspective only. ha ha... Wish me luck getting Max to participate on this one! :)

Feb 17, 2010

No its not baby weight even though Joee is only five months old. For the first few weeks after I had Joee I had 5lbs left to lose before I was back to pre-Joee weight. I was a skinny pregnant woman, pregnant woman all over snellville hated me. I had Joee, had alot of water weight and swelling from the c-section, and had 5 lbs left to lose! Well instead of losing the five I gained about 15 more. I crossed Thanksgiving and Christmas thinking oh I can do what I want, I did when I was skinny in 08. Obviously not. Now I am trying to get inspired to lose the weight, but I am having a mental dilemma here.

For months in 07/08 my BFF Mandy and I ran. We ran/walked 3 miles 3 days a week at a park between our houses. I ate healthy, gave up red meat and fried foods. I only drank two cokes a day (big deal for me) Weighed the most I had ever weighed at the time, and lost only 5 lbs. I was devastated, the only benefit that I knew I had gained was endurance.

Then my ex left me in 2008. I was devastated... for about a week. During that week I wasn't thinking "Oh I miss him" or "I can't live without him" No. I was thinking "Look at me, who would want me" and "Can I make all these payments on my own?". This lead to me working all the time but back then it felt like there was more time in a day. This short time I had on my own I lost 35 lbs in one month. Part of it was I only ate if I was hungry, I worked at least 40hrs a week on my feet, and I ran maybe once a week.

So I look at these two times in my life and that is my dilemma. I tried really hard to lose the weight and lost 5lbs, I didn't really try at all and lost 35lbs. Doesn't seem fair right!

So I have the inspiration to lose the weight, I signed up for Warrior Dash, however I haven't found the drive yet. I work all day on my feet, then I come home and don't feel like stepping anywhere near that treadmill. Not to metion Joee is a full time baby :)

So until I get the drive I guess I will just settle for watching what I eat, and wishing I was back to pre-Joee weight. (Don't think I will take up God's time with praying to be skinny!! But maybe healthy??)

Feb 15, 2010

I would NEVER get so sick of Joee crying while spoon feeding her that I hand her the whole baby food jar and let her feed herself. This did NOT make Joee incredibly happy, and she did NOT break down in tears when I took it back from her.

I did NOT work a full work week for the first time in a month. I have NOT been lazy and left early nearly every day. I did NOT miss work for a few days a couples weeks ago because I was sick, and this does NOT make me wish I was a stay at home mom. ( However if I was a stay at home mom I would get cabin fever all the time, so I am still thankful for my job)

My sister and her two month old did NOT get violently sick this week. That did NOT make me worry about them ALL THE TIME!!

I did NOT buy Max an expensive computer program called Punch Home Design,\ that I saw on Christy's blog. This has NOT resulted in him spending WAY to much time on the computer, and taking up my Yoville time lol.

I do NOT want to punch Joy from The View in the face, she is NOT the stupidest person on TV, and does NOT annoy me every day!

Feb 12, 2010

I was just blown away by my tivo version of The View this morning. Their Valentines Gifts were so neat I have to share!

This was my least favorite of all the gifts. It is similar to what I would say is the Snuggy, but the guy said it is more comfortable and useable, with hand pockets, feet pocket, and more plush.

Personalized ice cream. You can make your own ice cream flavors, even alvacado!! Add mix-ins, custom wrapping, and you have a gift! Little too Pricey for me though, but Max does love ice cream!

I love this idea, and plan on buying one for someone special, no not Max he doesn't read unless its a magazine :) but someone I love. Well anyways, there are many topics to choose from! You add different characters that match people in your life, and can even customize the cover and back of the book! Neat!!

Viva Box seems pretty neat. It is a gift box that has a gift in it as well as a giftcard for more of the same gift. For example the wine box includes a book on how to pick out wines, a subscription to a wine magazine, and a gift card for 6 bottles of wine.

Once Max and I win the lotto I throughly EXPECT these roses! I do not really like flowers, and I certaintly do not like roses, I am more of a tigerlily or mixed flower kinda girl. However THESE roses are stunning and make a statement and are very different than the traditional thoughtless rose!

On to my TOP TWO

This is very romantic and sweet. However it can be created at the dollar store/Joann's and still be just as romantic. A sweet note written by the lover sent in a bottle. Message in a bottle! Love it!

You send in your DNA on a cotton swab and it becomes art. This picture is two peoples DNA side by side. I would love to have Max, Joee, and Me. Very expensive though! But it is going on my list of something I want after Max and I have career jobs

Feb 8, 2010

As you might know, or might not, I have 4 wonderful doggies! I got my dog "collecting" honestly, as my mother has TEN! I just thought it would be cute to share my other "babies" or furbabies as they would like to be called :)

My babies are always so helpful. This is my little Mexican Chihuahua Rue helping me with my Spanish homework, Jaz wearing my bowtie getting ready for work, Dada would NEVER think clean laundry is a dog bed, and Carley would NEVER think she is a lap dog!!

Delilah had a special connection with my baby belly. Before Joee was born Dada would lay her head on my belly ALL THE TIME!! She thought that it was her own personal lullaby! Now they still have a special connection, Dada is like the baby watcher. Always with Joee, always cuddling, she gets her fur pulled alot now, and whimpers but never gets mad at Joee. She is such a good dog!

All my three little dogs love Joee so much. Rue probably only loves her because she is a warm cuddly baby :) Jaz thinks she is Joee's protector, from Carley and my mothers dogs when Joee visits over there.

I love my pups!! Luckly I married a man who loves my pups like they are his pups too! :)

Feb 7, 2010

I did NOT go blog surfing and find an adorable hat that I wanted for Joee. I did not get all excited that it was only $2.50 on Etsy. I did NOT buy the item like it was the last one on the shelf, only to find out that it is a crochet pattern, so I will NOT be gettin the hat, literally, just some paper that I do NOT know how to use :( I did NOT demand that my MIL Gina do it for me :)

I did NOT start laughing when I saw this. This is NOT a banana peel... on the sidewalk... and I certainly did NOT picture joggers falling on themselves. lol. My husband did NOT think I was "corny". I did NOT reply "well you like Billy Madison, and the O'Doodles (I know) drive off a cliff because of one!"

Mom and I have NOT become so cheap that we fight over coupons. Kroger use to send ME coupons to HER house, and I would NEVER give her lip about how they were MINE. Well Kroger did NOT change their mind and start mailing it to MOM! Mom would NEVER rub that in my face!!

Max and I did NOT find enjoyment in watching the crazy Iranian arsonist set fire to his grass last week. The arsonist did NOT accidently let his neighbor’s yard catch on fire after he thought his was out. I did NOT lose in a vote on who had to run up his GINORMOUS hill to tell him. He did NOT walk in a circle with a water can to put the fire out, then the neighbor came out and let the arsonist finish his work and he lit up the rest of the guys yard so it would match! lol.

Crazy Iranian Arsonist's housePoor Neighbors Yard (Notice the circle of grass in the picture!)(Notice the circle of grass in the picture!)

Joee has NOT decided to hold her own bottle WITH HER FEET. While I didn't get a good picture of it, since she is a ham for the camera, I did get some cute photos!

Feb 6, 2010

Yep that is right. And not with my darling Max, or my baby Joee this time. Nope. With my Cricut! You heard it I am in love with a Cricut. If you do not know what a Cricut is let me show you...

My mom bought me the Circut for Christmas. I had seen them at the last two scrapbooking conventions that I went to, and I was haunted by them everytime I went to my favorite store JoAnn's. The isle use to call my name, I would hear "Cherrrylll buyy meee!!" But I would talk myself out of it, because I had not "needed" one when I had made my previous scrapbooks. Then I would glance at the back of a "Cartridge" and be completly intemidated. Not to mention how expensive both the Cricut machine, and cartridges are... I was like uk-um no ma'am, slap my own hand, and make myself put it back.

Well Mom went all out and bought me one for Christmas, at first I was thrilled. Then to be honest I started looking at the cartridges and was disapointed because I wanted them all, and could afford to maybe buy two with my Christmas money. I got online and searched for a good place to buy them, I certaintly did not want to pay full price for them. I found a place on Ebay and ended up in their store. I bought two cartridges, one called sweet treats (cupcake fetish come'on) and the other a cheaper valentine one. I recieved them in the mail and put it up to tackle on a rainy day.

What better than a sick day to do crafts... I busted out the machine tonight, and now like I said I AM IN LOVE!!! I hand made invitations to my upcoming cupcake party, and then practiced with other things just wasting paper cutting out stuff :) Here are my results...

Basicly the Cricut cuts shapes. You push buttons to tell it what shape, size, etc, and as you can see you change paper color for different shapes then glue together and vwalla! So the pink and red hearts are TWO cuts pasted together. And the cupcakes are card shapes (yes it makes cards, cupcake holders, favors :) and then the heart, and cupcake wrapper :) So.. I know what I want for my birthday!

Feb 4, 2010

I love scrapbooking, yet I have only made three scrapbooks. One for my mother for mothers day a few years ago, one to document my grandparents 50th anniversery a few years ago too, and now a book to document max and I's travels. I haven't done the journaling yet, but I wanted to share it.

I feel the need to explain the page with the house and word YUM, we ate at this little place I found off the beaten path. It was someones house "Farm house" They grew all their own veg/fruit, and picked it, cooked it, served it. Only open two days a week. I dont know if it was because I was preggers or because it is just that good, but I would drive the two hours to eat there again!!

And that Safari was SO FUN!! Cant wait to terrify Joee in that van one day! Note to travelers, buy lots of food for the animals, they dont take no for an answer, and your windows DO NOT roll up. Oh and please rent a van it is well worth it, they would have messed up our cars!

This is it for today, one day I will get better at this blogging thing!

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About the Sweet McCullough's

My name is Cheryl, I am a new mom. It is the most wonderful fullfilling and rewarding experience of my life. I love to sew, draw, and make any kind of crafts. I recently have centered all my craft efforts into three things, Joee my daughter, cupcakes, and our home. I am married to Maxwell, a carpenter who makes all my ideas and dreams come true. From making me custom furniture to being a wonderful father and husband!